Lowe Alpine

We recently reached out to Rob McLellan, Senior Developer (Packs Design) at Lowe Alpine. We wanted to share the story of our partnership with this organization to demonstrate the reduction in quality risks and cost when utilizing a third-party quality provider.

Lowe Alpine’s history, as noted on their website, is rich in passion for family and outdoor adventure. It started with Ralph Lowe in 1956 and expeditions with his children up the Exum Ridge on the Gran Teton in Wyoming. Interestingly, Greg is credited with “the birth of modern ice climbing.” And, his son is known for developing “missed” rock and ice climbing techniques in the 1980s. With this passion, dating back to childhood, the brothers developed an interest in creating new equipment. Products introduced include outdoor gear, such as packs, clothing, and accessories that are used by climbers, alpinists, mountain bikers and other enthusiasts around the world.

In 1988, the brothers sold the organization, but "Lowe Alpine’s objectives stay true to the Lowe brothers’ vision; to create innovative, practical outdoor products using exacting levels of design and materials."

"Lowe Alpine is now a leading worldwide manufacturer of outdoor gear, yet still creating new solutions to old problems. This is equipment used in the world’s wildest places, where gear failure is not an option."

It is evident that Lowe Alpine demonstrates a passion for and dedication to quality. In this respect, Pro QC International partnered with Lowe Alpine in February of 2011 and performs ongoing inspections of bag packs at supplier locations in Vietnam and Qingdao, China. By performing inspections, companies are able to identify problems early with the goal of eliminating the causes. Utilized correctly, inspections save money by eliminating process problems and ensuring that the end product meets customers' requirements and expectations.

When asked how Pro QC has provided value to the organization, Rob McLellan explains that "with an expanding backpack business, we needed to ensure that the quality of our products were checked and maintained at a high level all year round. Lowe Alpine has a long history as a trusted gear supplier, and we want that to continue. Pro QC has helped us to achieve this with the provision of professional inspection staff and detailed and clear reporting procedures.” He considers “Pro QC’s local availability and their dependable and thorough inspection methods to be the most significant contribution that Pro QC has made as a partner to Lowe Alpine."

We also asked Rob why he selected Pro QC as a third-party provider. He explained that "Our R&D team is based in the UK, so although we use extremely reliable vendors we needed a local QC team who could inspect not only finished product but also check the sewing lines during production. Pro QC was the ideal choice for us, as they have offices local to our manufacturers and they have been able to provide experienced QC inspectors to assess our technical product. The availability of the inspectors has been excellent, even at short notice, and they have consistently provided timely and clear reports. Partnering with Pro QC has kept us fully informed and able to respond quickly and appropriately to any quality issues. It has also allowed us to devote more time to the other vital part of our business - product development."

For more information about Pro QC and the advantages of using a third-party quality provider as a partner at your supplier locations, contact us at info@proqc.com. We offer three decades of experience and a team of quality professionals in over 39 countries.